Investigating the need for customizing maintenance services

Market segmentation theory is based on the notion that although customers are unique they may be grouped into relatively homogeneous categories which respond in a certain manner to the supplier¿s marketing efforts. Despite the lack of commercial necessity for the Dutch social rented sector in meeting the demands of tenants, the public objectives do compel them to be efficient and effective in maintenance spending. Market segmentation may be useful to achieve maximum customer satisfaction, while preventing that too much effort is given to less important maintenance services or determinants of maintenance service quality for the specific target groups. Given the limited body of knowledge with respect to segmentation in maintenance of dwellings a post hoc approach is used for this purpose. A large-scale survey is conducted amongst tenants of large housing associations based in the Netherlands. By means of respectively factor and cluster analyses, customer segments are given shape. Profiling of these segments is achieved through ANOVA analyses. The paper finishes with recommendations about the implications for implementation of market segmentation in maintenance service delivery in the Dutch social rented sector.